TecEco

TecEco are a small Australian research and development company with technologies that are important for the survival of the planet that was founded in 1999 by John Harrison with a mission to develop and deploy sustainable technologies. The concept, science, economics, social significance and future of TecEco Cements
and Kiln technologies have been John's brain child since late
1998. As Thomas A Edison is reputed to have said, the project has been “1%
percent inspiration and 99% perspiration.”

John is a qualified scientist, economist and accountant and since late 1998
has devoted a great deal of his resources to the development of TecEco Cements.
What started off as “bucket chemistry” has turned into arguably
the most important materials science in the world with real sustainable economic
potential. New uses for TecEco Cements emerge and new realizations come to mind
regularly in what is a most exciting field of scientific endeavor.

Mark Twain said "Everybody is talking about the weather but nobody does
anything about it." TecEco are doing something by developing materials
that abate or sequester carbon in the built environment and converting waste to resource.

More recently TecEco have been involved in developing the Gaia Engineeringtececology which embraces a number of new technologies including TecEco’s kiln technology for emission free calcination and the production of concrete using our cements, carbon dioxide scrubbing technology, heat capture and transfer technologies, CO2 to organic chemicals and desalination technologies that can profitably deliver massive waste utilisation and sequestration as well as produce fresh water, gypsum, sodium bicarbonate and various other saleable salts. Gaia Engineering is now being promoted internationally and the level of interest is rising rapidly.

TecEco have developed and been granted international patents for TecEco cements in which reactive magnesia[1] is substituted
for Portland Cement (PC), hydrates to brucite the hydroxide of magnesium and
in Eco-Cement used to make permeable materials, carbonates to magnesite. Various
cement formulations have been developed based on this fundamental concept including
Tec-Cements, Eco-Cements and Enviro-Cements.

Eco-Cements in permeable or semi permeable materials such as curb and gutter, bricks, blocks and pavers, paths, slabs, mortars renders and permecocrete pervious pavement not only absorb significant quantities of CO2; they utilise a wide range of waste materials that add physical or chemical properties. If made without release of CO2 using Tec-Kiln technology significant sequestration results.

Tec-Cement is a very durable high strength cement for use in demanding construction applications. Enviro-Cements are for locking up toxic and hazardous materials. Recent confirmation by third parties of significant tensile and compressive strength gain and non shrink characteristics has heightened commercial interest in Tec-Cement concretes and a number of new trials are now underway.

Recognizing that urban construction must be sustainable if we are to survive
the future, leading scientists and science organizations around the world have
endorsed the need to research, develop and deploy TecEco cement technology.

TecEco have also managed to gain considerable leverage for the research, development and deployment of its new technologies with third party funded research projects. These have been conducted at very credible institutions including Cambridge University, Imperial College London and Brighton University. Funding for many others projects has been applied for through other organisations and at any one time there are probably 100 students around the world working on our technologies and methodologies.

[1] Reactive magnesia is also variously
known as caustic calcined magnesia, caustic magnesia or CCM. The temperature of firing has a greater influence on reactivity than grind size as excess energy goes into lattice energy.